Increasing Teachers’ Ability in Handling Children with Learning
Disabilities through Training and Mentoring of Teaching
Accommodation and Modification
Sari Rudiyati, Mumpuniarti Mumpuniarti and Pujaningsih Pujaningsih
Special Education Department, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Jl. Colombo No.1, Karangmalang,
Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Keywords: The Ability of Teachers, Children with Learning Disabilities.
Abstract: This study aims to improve the ability of teachers in handling with children with learning disabilities through
training and mentoring of teaching accommodation and modification. This research is action research.
Subjects were 42 regular teachers and 21 special teacher of Inclusive Elementary School using proportional
sampling technique. Data was collected using tests, questionnaires, observations, interviews, and
documentation and analyzed descriptively quantitative and qualitative using interactive techniques and
percentages. Findings from this study indicate that the ability of 63 teachers in the knowledge and
understanding of dealing with children with learning disabilities has increased by training, but in a sense,
teachers still need mentoring. Model and product guidebooks of teaching accommodations and modifications
effective to improve the ability of teachers in handling children with learning disabilities.
1 INTRODUCTION
There are view things importance of previous
research relating to the problems of children with
learning disabilities. The Teacher Preparation
Program does not provide materials on children with
learning disabilities. It makes almost all regular
teachers are difficult to deal with children with
learning disabilities. Then, the acceptance rate
teachers also affect the way they treat children with
learning disabilities. Unfortunately, perception
teacher of children with learning disabilities are still
very rare (Pavri and Lutfig, 2001; Cook et al., 2000),
so the negative votes are upon children with specific
learning disabilities. Lopes et al. (2004) agree with
the statement. They say that the regular teachers are
difficult to deal with children with learning
disabilities and feel that children with learning
disabilities are a burden to them. Children with
learning disabilities need more time and attention to
learn compared with other children but they are
underachiever. Research conducted by Rudiyati et al.
(2010) about learning model accommodation for
dealing with children with specific learning
difficulties in different classes is difficult to
implement because of the low percentage of
acceptance of teachers to children with specific
learning difficulties.
There are the adverse effects caused by the neglect
of the needs of children. Litch (Smith, 1998) says that
the adaptation is one of the causes of failure faced by
children with specific learning difficulties. Then, they
are difficult to socialize and be rejected by their
friends (Pavri and Lutfig, 2001). Lackaye and
Margalit (2006) found that children with learning
disabilities feel bad emotions and loneliness. The
feeling can be developed into a depression (Magg and
Reid, 2006) and suicidal tendencies. When the
teacher gives a bad example to the students ignore
children with learning disabilities, other students will
emulate the attitude of the teacher. Favazza et al.
(2000) explains that the rejection of children with
learning disabilities occur in places that are not
supported to perform denial.
The main focus of this research is the teacher as
the lead actor to build a classroom situation. Teachers
are expected to accept children with learning
disabilities and develop strategies suitable for the
needs of these children. It will be the basis of the
development model of accommodations and
modifications learning. This model aims to train
teachers how to treat students with specific learning
Rudiyati, S., Mumpuniarti, M. and Pujaningsih, P.
Increasing Teachers’ Ability in Handling Children with Learning Disabilities through Training and Mentoring of Teaching Accommodation and Modification.
In 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017), pages 1043-1047
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2017 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
1043

difficulties without ignoring the other students. Issues
specific learning disabilities or children with
disabilities learn to be a serious problem.
Unfortunately, no action is sufficient to address the
problem. In addition, people, especially teachers, are
still rarely understood by the term learning difficulties
or specific learning disabilities. These conditions
make teachers misjudge their students as "stupid
boy", "lazy boy", "underachiever", and so on.
This research can train primary school teachers
and provide information on specific learning
disabilities or learning disability through the learning
model of accommodations and modifications in
handling children with learning disabilities. The study
also improved the quality of learning in the
classroom, indirectly. Through the guide books
handling system that uses "in-service training"
teachers are expected to accept children with learning
disability and to handle them well. The handling
model of children with learning disabilities based on
teaching accommodation and modification compiled
in previous studies need to be completed because only
focused on children with learning difficulties
generally. Hopefully, this research can enhance
previous studies with a focus on the handling of
children with learning disabilities. This will be a
guide that contains a variety of alternatives to
accommodate and modify the teaching and learning
activities by implementing measures is clear. Design
models of handling children with specific learning
difficulties based on accommodations and
modifications will be developed from the previous
model obtained from Pujaningsih (2007) and
continued with her research Rudiyati et al. (2010 to
2012). The previous model is a general guideline that
has not pointed to children with specific learning
difficulties and special teaching accommodations and
modifications. This model provides flexibility in four
aspects: a) Submission of materials and how to teach,
b) the provision of duty and assessment, c) Timing
and scheduling, d) learning environment. It is thus
very important that the ability of teachers in handling
children with learning disabilities need to be
improved.
This study aims to improve the ability of teachers
in handling children with learning disabilities through
training and mentoring of teaching accommodation
and modification. This study is limited to the training
and mentoring of teachers in handling children with
learning disabilities with teaching accommodations
and modifications provides flexibility in four aspects:
a) Submission of materials and how to teach, b) duty
assignment and assessment, c) Timing and
scheduling, d) learnings’ environment.
2 RESEARCH METHODS
This type of research is action research. Subjects were
42 regular teachers and 21 special teachers in
Inclusive Elementary School using proportional
sampling techniques. The study was conducted over
eight months from March to October 2016. The
research location is at 15 Inclusive Elementary
School in five districts in Yogyakarta Special
Province, Indonesia. Actions taken by the training
and mentoring of teaching accommodations and
modifications to the children with learning
disabilities for 63 inclusive elementary school
teachers in 4 counties and municipalities in the
special province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data were
collected using tests, questionnaires, observations,
interviews, and documentation and analyzed
descriptively quantitative and qualitative used
interactive techniques and percentages.
3 RESULTS
There has been increased knowledge and insight of
inclusive primary school teachers in handling
children with learning disabilities, but in its
implementation teachers still need mentoring.
Therefore, mentoring is needed in the implementation
of teaching accommodations and modifications for
children with learning disabilities from inclusive
primary school teacher.
This study was conducted in 15 primary schools
of four districts and municipalities distribution in
Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia. Based on
the data obtained in this study can be divided into
descriptions before training, after training, and after
mentoring them.
3.1 Teachers’ Understanding in the
Identification of Children with
Learning Disabilities
Teachers can identify children as children with
learning disabilities to use instruments that contain
some aspects of observation. It contains observations
on aspects of motor consists of 8 behaviors, language
consisting of 16 behaviors, reading consists of 14
behaviors, written language consists of 12 behaviors,
mathematics consisting of 12 behaviors, social and
emotional consists of 6 behaviors, attention
consisting of 7 behaviors, and other aspects which
consists of 10 behaviors so all there are 85 indicators
observations. Through the existing data can be seen
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
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that 55% of teachers identified behavioral indicators
that experienced by children with learning
disabilities. Results of identification that has been
done by the teacher, showed average difficulty
children with learning disabilities in every aspect can
be seen through the figure 1 below:
Figure 1: Teachers’ understanding in the identification of
children with learning disabilities.
3.2 Teachers’ Understanding Mapping
Needs of Teaching Accommodations
and Modifications
In Figure 2 below can be observed in the percentage
increase teachers' understanding mapping needs of
teaching modification and accommodation. Increased
counted from after the training given and after direct
mentoring in schools.
Figure 2: gTeachers’ Understanding Mapping Needs of
Teaching Accommodations and Modification.
3.3 Teachers’ Understanding in
Implementing Teaching
Accommodations and
Modifications
In Figure 3 below can be observed percentage
increase teachers' understanding in carrying out this
type of teaching accommodation and modification.
Increased counted from after the training given and
after direct mentoring in schools.
Figure 3: Teachers ‘Understanding in Implementing
Teaching Accommodations and Modifications.
Information:
1. Help in the learning process
2. The use of equipment
3. Peer Tutor
4. Ensure the child's attention
5. Repetition of material
6. Other additional learning material
7. Write down a list of tasks
8. Homework and tasks according to the child
9. Direct questions
10. Decrease in the level of difficulty
11. The provision of assistance in the task
12. The reading matter for students
13. Pause break
14. The additional time on assignments
15. Separate Exam
16. Sitting in front
17. Requests of parental attention
18. Placement in a group
Implementation of teaching accommodations and
modifications by inclusive primary school teachers in
describe the handling children with learning
disabilities by teaching model that contains flexibility
in four aspects: a) How the delivery of content and
how to teach, b) duty assignment and assessment, c)
Timing and scheduling, d) learning environment. Of
the four aspects of flexibility there are several types
of teaching accommodations and modifications,
among others: (1) help in the learning process; (2)
The use of equipment; (3) Peer Tutor; (4) Ensure the
child's attention; (5) Repetition of material; (6) other
additional learning material; (7) Write down a list of
tasks; (8) Homework and tasks according to the child;
(9) Direct questions; (10) Decrease in level of
difficulty; (11) The provision of assistance in the task;
(12) The reading matter for students; (13) Pause
break; (14) The additional time on assignments ; (15)
Separate exam; (16) Sitting in the front; (17) Request
Increasing Teachers’ Ability in Handling Children with Learning Disabilities through Training and Mentoring of Teaching Accommodation
and Modification
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for parental attention; (18) The placement in the
group.
Implementation in the field closely related to the
selection of teacher responses in this type of teaching
accommodation and modification, reactions on
children with learning disabilities, and the reaction of
their peers. Based on the linkages several aspects
mentioned above obtained results of implementation
of teaching accommodations and modifications
focuses on the difficulties faced by children with
learning disabilities. This was evidenced by an
increase in teachers' competency in handling children
with learning disabilities of 12 people or 19.5% are
poor and 51 people or 80.95% of teachers enough, to
7 people or 11.11% good and 56 or 88, 89% is very
good.
4 DISCUSSION
There has been increased knowledge and insight
inclusive primary school teachers in handling
children with learning disabilities, but on the level of
implementation the teachers are still needs mentoring.
Results of handling children with learning disabilities
based on teaching model of accommodations and
modifications. This model provides flexibility in four
aspects: a) Providing material and how to teach, b)
Duties and assessment, c) Timing and scheduling, d)
learning environment. In line with the design model
of handling children with learning difficulties based
on teaching accommodation and modification has
been developed from the previous model obtained
from Pujaningsih (2007) and continued with the
research Rudiyati et al. (2010 to 2012). The previous
model is a general guideline that has not pointed to
children with specific learning difficulties and special
teaching accommodations and modifications. This
models Provides flexibility in four aspects: a)
Providing material and how to teach, b) Duties and
assessment, c) Timing and scheduling, d) Learning
environmental. Hayden (2004) indicated resources
the scope of accommodation applied to the learning
process. There was some coverage of the property as
follows: (1) Materials and methods of teaching; (2)
The tasks and assessment in the classroom; (3) The
time and scheduling demands; (4) Location of
learning; (5) The use of communication systems.
Special communication of children with learning
disabilities are not investigated, because they can
communicate with the environment through special
language without specifications so that the use of
specific language is not addressed in this study.
To achieve optimal results, the implementation of
the handling of children with learning disabilities
based on teaching accommodation and modification,
as a model for the handling of children with learning
disabilities in inclusive primary school, need a guide
that can be used as a guideline in the implementation
of the handling of children with learning disabilities.
Therefore, the model and product handling of
children with learning disabilities who have been
tested and validated, it should be disseminated and
applied further. Training and mentoring for the
implementation of teaching accommodations and
modifications for handling children with learning
disabilities for inclusive primary school teacher
turned out to be understood and applied as a model of
teaching accommodations and modifications for
handling children with learning disabilities.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Based on the research results and discussion,
conclusions can be presented as follows: Knowledge
and insight inclusive primary school teachers in
dealing with children with learning disabilities has
increased, but the level of implementation of the
teachers are still need in mentoring. This was
evidenced by the teachers’ ability of handling
children with disabilities study of 12 people or 19.5%
are poor and 51 people or 80.95% of teachers enough,
to 7 people or 11.11% good and 56 people or 88.89%
is very good.
The effectiveness of the model and product of
handling children with learning disabilities can be
evidenced by indicators that inclusive primary school
teachers have implemented a model and products
such as in the implementation guide book teaching
accommodations and modifications of children with
learning disabilities. Application of teaching
accommodations and modifications of children with
learning disabilities in the form of flexibility of
learning is done in four aspects: (a) the provision of
material and how to teach, (b) the provision of duty
and assessment, (c) the time and scheduling, and (d)
the learning environment. Four aspects are supported
by a management climate conducive academic
situation. That the implementation of teaching
accommodations and modifications can improve the
learning of children with learning disabilities in terms
of: (a) motivation to learn; (b) social interaction; and
(c) Academic Achievement.
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6 SUGGESTION
For elementary school teachers can implement
inclusive accommodation and modification of models
of learning and manual handling of children with
learning disabilities in the form of learning flexibility.
Flexibility learning is done in four aspects: (a) the
provision of material and how to teach, (b) the
provision of duty and assessment, (c) the time and
schedule, and (d) the learning environment. Four
aspects are supported by a management climate
conducive academic situation; and the results can be
recorded in a diary "logbook".
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to all those who have assisted the
implementation of research and publications,
especially the organizers of International Conference
Special Educational Needs and PERTANIKA Journal
Editorial Board.
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and Modification
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